Brand: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Spokesperson: John Williams, EVP Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Plans for 2007?
Looking ahead, we are very excited about a number of prospects next year. In expansion news, Fairmont eagerly anticipates the opening of the Fairmont Cairo and rebranding four properties in Kenya in 2007 along with further developments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and South Africa, all of which are expected to open later this decade.
The company is also pleased to re-open New York's famed Plaza Hotel, following a $350 million lobby-to-ro renovation. In addition, the company is preparing brand wide celebrations to commemorate the 100th year anniversaries of the Fairmont San Francisco as well as The Plaza. Throughout the year, Fairmont will also unveil new products at a number of hotels i including The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club in Miami and The Fairmont Chicago, following significant capital investments in each location.
Strategy in the face of competition?
While our primary goal is to turn moments into memories for all of our guests, we are very focused and committed to growing the Fairmont brand. While there are a number of very large global brands, we believe there will always be a place for niche, customer-focused brands like Fairmont.
New source markets?
We believe as the Fairmont brand grows in the Middle East, this region holds great potential, and we will be focusing sales efforts on raising awareness of our global presence in this market.
New for guests
Fairmont has always prided itself on being a technological leader in the hospitality marketplace. Next year, we have a number of new web-based and in-hotel technology initiatives set to debut. A number of new marketing initiatives are also on the horizon, ranging from an online retail component to enhancing the guest experience with the introduction of a number of new entertainment services and partnerships.